Steve Bloomer's Watchin'

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The song Steve Bloomer's Watchin' has been the official club anthem of Derby County Football Club since Boxing Day 1997, where the finished version of the song was played for the first time before the league game against Newcastle United. Derby won the game 1-0. The original version of the song was first played before the Manchester United home game in October of that same season.

The idea for the song began in November of 1996 when two Derby County supporters Mark Tewson and Martyn Miller heard an old Australian rules football song entitled "Up There Cazaly" which was composed by Mike Brady, in 1979, for an Australian TV show. Within days of first hearing the Australian song, the two Derby fans had rewritten the lyrics of the song. A friend and musician Stephen Halsten-Reid re-vamped the musical composition.

The local BBC radio station, Radio Derby aired the song on the Pam Steele Show. The Derby County Press Officer told Miller and Tewson that he thought they had something here that could work, however, a more professional version of the composition would be needed if this was going to be an anthem of the future. The actor Robert Lindsay agreed to assist. Others involved in the new recoding were Lionel Pickering and Jim Smith (who were Derby's owner and manager respectively) and many of the squad's players at the time, including team captain, Robin van der Laan, Ron Willems, and Robert Kozluk. The eventual recording was performed under the name "Robert Lindsay and the Pride Park Posse".

A near capacity crowd greeted the home team as they walked out onto the field on Boxing Day 1997 to play Newcastle United. They were also greeted by the thundering noise of "Steve Bloomer's Watchin'" over the loud-speaker system. From then until the end of the season, the song was played before the home games and also at full time, unless Derby lose. In the years since its first pre-game playing, the song has grown in popularity among the Derby fans. It is still played at home games and can now be often heard being sung at away games by the fans themselves.

In 2007, "Steve Bloomer's Watchin'" celebrated its 10th anniversary as the club's official song. The song has helped bring Steve Bloomer back into the consciousness of modern Derby fans. The player was a genius on the field with unparalleled scoring achievements, for both Derby and England (28 goals in 23 games). He was the game's first true superstar and, rightly, there will be a bronze statue of him placed outside the Pride Park Stadium where all future generations of Derby fans will be able to look and see one of the greatest players ever to grace a football pitch.

[edit] The Lyrics

• Verse One

Our history's full of legends,
And football played on high,
Raich Carter, Peter Doherty,
You should have seen 'em fly.
Now we all just love football,
But will we lift the crown,
The noise goes up, the Rams come out,
Onto the hallowed ground.

• Home Chorus

Steve Bloomer's Watchin',
Helping us fight,
Guiding our heroes,
In the black and the white.
All teams who come here,
There's nowhere to hide,
Everyone is frightened,
Of that Derby pride.

• Verse Two

The Rams just play football,
That make our hearts so proud,
McFarland and Hector,
Were names to thrill the crowd.
And if you love or hate us,
Just wait until we score,
The ball goes in, the stands light up,
And how the mighty roar.

• Home Chorus repeated twice.

• Away Chorus

The Rams are a coming,
We're out there to win,
Playing like fury,
They won't let 'em in.
Home sides be wary,
Of our heart and our soul,
We're searching for glory,
And victory is our goal.

• Home chorus repeated to finale.